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Rejuvenated Ryan Kent says he doesn’t want to get bogged down by numbers.

But the truth of the matter is he should do because they may well make or break Rangers’ title challenge this term.

Kent’s magnificent showing against Hamilton at the weekend got his team across the line.

It also proved how important it is to have the full attacking unit contributing on the days when the top guns don’t fire.

Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe are outstanding contributors to Rangers. Their goal tallies have taken the burden off the rest, yet there were times last term when it even seemed detrimental in terms of the responsibility taken by their colleagues.

(Image: Rangers FC/PA Images)

Such were the wonderful figures of Morelos there was almost an over reliance. We don’t need to score, Alfredo will do it.

When Defoe found his feet after getting up to match speed he was pretty much the same.

The rest have to do more. Last season it was a big failing. Given the system Steven Gerrard used with two wide men either side of a central striker, those guys with the jobs of delivering in support of the central striker came up woefully short.

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Kent won Young Player of the Year but the bare facts are, despite some outstanding creativity and build-up play, he only managed to score six goals in 43 appearances.

He said after his Hamilton heroics: “There’s always a lot of outside noise about having to score more goals which I do, but I take more satisfaction from putting in good performances every week.”

Trouble is, those two things are not mutually exclusive.

(Image: SNS Group)

Kent scored his six last season but Daniel Candeias could only come up with the same amount of goals in 52 appearances. Yes he did a real shift for the team and helped James Tavernier with his backtracking and workrate but half-a-dozen goals when you’re playing in that position for an impressive Rangers team is pretty poor. Same goes for Kent.

James Forrest came up with 17 goals from the same wide position in basically the same system across the city.

The whole of the country seemed to think Scott Sinclair had a woeful season for Celtic, yet he also managed 17 last term.

It’s the same story again this season with the contributions to help striker Odsonne Edouard is immense.

Forrest has already got 13, Ryan Christie has 12 while Mohamed Elyounoussi has scored seven in just 12 games.

Put that against Scott Arfield, who has two. He’s hardly the same type as a Forrest or a Kent but it’s still an advanced role. Sheyi Ojo and Joe Aribo have five each without being regular starters. It’s not enough.

(Image: SNS Group)

Morelos and Defoe are outstanding strikers who will take the strain for the majority of matches but to win a title it will need others to step forward on a regular basis and fill the gaps when they don’t net.

Rangers dropped 16 points last season in games where Morelos and Defoe didn’t net. That’s too many.

If Kent hadn’t come to the rescue at Hamilton it would have been two gone.

The fact he produced was vital. It’s what Rangers will need.

Kent has a key role to play in terms of adding goals from a position where, as an Old Firm player in that system, any less than 12 a season has to be deemed as failure to properly deliver.

It’s not just him. The whole offensive unit have to help their main men. If they do, Rangers could go all the way.